Discover the incredible and famous Sedlec Ossary in the city of Kutná Hora thanks to a trip from Prague!
The Czech Republic is known for its variety of monuments and for their wealth. Many buildings and places are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site and if there is a place to discover in the vicinity of Prague, it is Kutná Hora, a small village 70 kilometres from the Czech capital.
It houses magnificent monuments, especially a place for the least unusual, namely the Sedlec ossary , whose interior was “decorated” using the bones of 40,000 victims of the plague.
It is possible, from Prague, to go visit Kutná Hora with a guide, and to enter this church with bones.
Visit to the city of Kutná Hora
Sainte-Barbe Church – Photo credit: Flickr – Tom Mrazek
Kutná Hora is a city that was founded more than 600 years ago on a silver ore deposit. Once the second Czech city after Prague in terms of population, it now has about 21,000 inhabitants.
Although Kutná Hora has a relatively dull modern architecture, the city is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995 for its historic centre, including the Sainte-Barbe Church and the Sedlec Ossary. At the two ends of the city there are some beautiful buildings, and the highest points of the city are home to a more ancient but restored architecture, with medieval, Gothic, Renaissance and baroque buildings.
Photo credit: Flickr – Stelio
Kutná Hora owes its wealth to its silver mines, which fill the deposits of the kingdom for decades. This is where the “Groschens pragois” were also struck, one of the strongest European currencies of the time.
Finally small enough, Kutná Hora walks. In the historic centre you will discover many medieval vestiges, including the chapel of the Saint-Corps, narrow streets and patrician houses, the stone fountain of the central square or the Court of Italians, the seat of the agent of the King responsible for monitoring the extraction of money.
Visit the Sedlec Shrine
Photo credit: Flickr – Shawn Harquail
If there is a strange place in the city of Kutná Hora, it is indeed his ossary. From the outside, it does not seem extraordinary. It is simply a small church and a Gothic-style cemetery. But the Sedlec Ossary is a somewhat special place.
The legend says that in 1278 the Abbot of the monastery of Sedlec was sent by King Ottokar II of Bohemia to Jerusalem. There he picked up a handful of land from Golgotha (the place where Jesus was crucified) and brought it back, scattering it on the cemetery of Sedlec. It went on to become “Holy Land” and locals, but also from Poland, Belgium and Bavaria wanted to be buried there. During the great epidemics, thousands of men found their last rest there.
Photo credit: Flickr – Suzanne Hamilton
Today, however, the Sedlec Shrine is special for another reason. Inside, the place is decorated with the bones of 40,000 people. Wait till you're surprised when you come into this place. It is both terrifying and fascinating and it also allows to discover one of the mystical facets of the Czech Republic.
As the church was abandoned, it was restored in the early 18th century, under the direction of Abbé Snopek and architect Jan Blazej Santini-Aichel. Today, this extraordinary decoration made of skulls and human bones seduces every visitor who dares to venture into the entrances of the church. Will you dare your turn?
How to get to Kutná Hora?
Today, the Sedlec Shrine is considered one of the most visited places in the Czech Republic. There is a guided tour in French (or English) by Kutná Hora and the Sedlec Ossary which is offered to you from Prague. After taking care of your hotel, a guide will comment on the walking tour of Kutna Hora with access to the church of Sainte-Barbe and the Ossuaire de Sedlec. Certainly a little more expensive than if you were visiting yourself, this 5:30 excursion is really complete and convenient.
Photo credit: Flickr – Michael Newman
You can also go to Kutná Hora by your own means. The one that is surnamed “the church with bones” in Kutná Hora is located at 1h train from Prague.
First, you can find all the train schedules on the site jizdnirady.idnes.cz . There is a train to Kutná Hora every hour from Prague Central Station. The “Kutná Hora hl.n” stop is not really the main station of Kutna Hora, but it is a 10-minute walk from the Sedlec Ossary (the signs will show you the way from the train station). If you want to first visit the town of Kutná Hora, stop at the Kutná Hora město stop. The return trip ticket will cost you 211 CZK (7.80€).
The entrance price at the Ossary of Sedlec is 90 CZK (3,30€). For students and children, the entrance fee is 60 CZK (2.20€).
Opening hours of the Ossary :
- Between April and September: from 8am to 6pm - In October and March: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Between November and February: from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:00. - The Ossary is closed on Christmas.
Photo credit: Flickr – C.
Main photo credit: Flickr – Neil Girling
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